Page 3 - October 2015

CHICAGO LODGE # 7
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CHICAGO LODGE #7
EXECUTIVE BOARD
DEAN C. ANGELO, SR.
President
RAY CASIANO, JR.
First Vice President
Frank DiMaria Second Vice President Daniel D. Gorman Third Vice President Greg Bella Recording Secretary Kevin Kilmer Financial Secretary John Capparelli Treasurer
Bill Nolan Immediate Past President John Dineen Parliamentarian
Sergeants-at-Arms
Bill Burns
Al Francis, Jr. James E. Moriarty, Jr.
Trustees
Robert Rutherford, Chairman Dean Angelo, Jr.
Mark Donahue
Pat Duckhorn
Sergio Escobedo Kathleen Gahagan Michael Garza Joseph Gentile
Ken Hauser
Tom Lonergan
Kevin McNulty Landry Reeves
Inez Riley
Jay Ryan
Steve Schorsch
Ron Shogren
Daniel Trevino
Field Reps
Keith Carter Marlon Harvey Thomas McDonough
Magazine Committee Members
Greg Bella, Chair Joseph Gentile Bill Burns Thomas McKenna Michael Carroll Reggie Smith
President’s Report
Official Magazine
Responding to our Magazine/Newsletter readers
DEAN C. ANGELO, SR.
4 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2015
First off, we need to strongly apologize to all members who were patiently awaiting the delivery of the first issue of our new Chicago FOP 7 Magazine. As you all know by now, it was more than late to arrive in your mailboxes. Everyone involved on the Lodge’s end was under the impression that the behind- the-scene arrangements were
locked down, but we now all know that they were not. We have been reassured by the pub- lishing people that the speed bumps, hiccups, and the other initial problems associated with the delays we experienced will not be repeated and that future issues will be timelier. We cer- tainly hope so, but once again we are truly sorry for the inconvenience.
Even with the late arrival, the final figures came in quite favorable. Compared to the 12- page, two-color FOP Newsletter of old, our inau- gural 48-page, expertly-formatted Chicago FOP 7 Magazine saved the membership more money than originally expected. We are proud to report that the changeover saved in excess of the pro- jected $5,000. We were informed that the savings with our very first issue, was $6,400! You can imagine the buzz around the Lodge office when that final figure came in! We are extremely excit- ed and it quickly became how obvious it was that the advertisements really paid off.
Speaking of advertisements, if any members know of anyone that might be interested in get- ting involved in placing an advertisement in the magazine, or has any family with a business or service who might be interested, or might know of an organization/company out there that members might be interested in the goods and/or services they offer, please contact Mitch or Dan at mitch@chicagofopmagazine.com or dan@chicagofopmagazine.com to find out how to do so.
Responding to the issues facing police
It should come as no surprise to anyone in the law enforcement community that the public has no respect for police officers. Not only is this an accurate statement; it is also not the first time law enforcement has faced blind criticism from the media, politicians, academics and activists.
For those who were protecting the streets then, or those of us fortunate enough to have been reared by police officers of a past generation, they (and we) were witness to the same disdain that occurred in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Our coun- try was torn apart by anti-war demonstrations, Civil Rights struggles and an overall anti-govern- ment sentiment that lingered far too long. Even those that were considered to be law-abiding, working-class family types looked upon the police with a jaded eye, and distrust of law enforcement was commonplace.
What changed to end the distrust back then? Successful attempts to minimize the overall impact of the police were put into place. Depart- ments suffered personnel and financial cut- backs. Enforcement practices were altered and arrests went down. Softer guidelines related to sentencing convicted offenders and readdress- ing criminal law violations became the rule of the day, and offenders went into treatment, not jail. Prisons were thought to be horrid places that were cruel and inhumane. Certain popula- tions in society came to believe (and still do) that habitual criminals could actually become contributing members of society by offering social service programs. Alternatives to incar- ceration influenced sentencing, productive con- duct, time considered served and early release. Guess how that worked out for us?
The nation's crime rate went through the roof. Guns became easily accessed and the weapon of choice. Drug use, drug money, gang membership and the associated murders were the headlines of the day. Police officers were fighting a losing battle in a war that began to take over the streets of every major city. Shortly thereafter, even the legitimate working class- types of society who once jumped on the anti- police bandwagon changed their mantra and began to scream for more police, larger prisons and stricter sentencing guidelines. Financial expenditures related to enforcing criminal laws increased as the taxpayers were more than will- ing to contribute to safer living conditions and once again allow the police to actually police.
Those about-face perceptions and need for an increased police role resulted with never-seen- before recruitment programs. As the numbers of police officers increased, the docket roster for courtrooms across the country quickly length-